Anthony Fauci uncertain whether US govt will mandate 'vaccine passports' for travel

The United States infectious disease expert on March 5 said that the US government will not mandate vaccine passports for travel. He said that he does not think the government will be the main mover behind these passports. In an episode of the Politico Dispatch podcast, Fauci stated that the government may ensure the things are being done fairly and equitably but they won't be the leading element of vaccine passport.

Fauci urges Americans to get themselves vaccinated

Fauci said that theatres and educational institutions can make the entry with the test report mandatory. In a White House press briefing, Fauci said that the people should take precautions regarding COVID-19. They should continue to follow coronavirus protocols to curb the spread of the virus. He added that the cases increased during summer so people should be more vigilant. 

We saw some substantial surges in the summer.  I don’t think we should even think about relying on the weather to bail us out of anything we’re in right now.

Anthony Fauci also said that Americans should get themselves vaccinated with two shots of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Fauci said that he is concerned about the protection against a single dose of the virus especially after the emergence of new contagious variants that can evade the protection of the virus. He urged the people to get themselves inoculated with two jabs of vaccines.

We have been concerned, and still are, that when you look at the level of protection after one dose, you can say it’s 80 per cent, but it is somewhat of a tenuous 80 per cent because the level of, for example, neutralizing antibodies against the coronavirus when you just leave it at one dose, the question is: How long does it last?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention most recent data showed the seven-day average of new cases is about 64,000 cases per day. The cases have increased approximately 7 per cent compared to the prior seven-day period. More people infected with the virus are getting hospitalised. The most recent seven-day trend average is about 4,970 admissions per day, up about 3 per cent from the previous seven-day period. Deaths have decreased to an average of approximately 800 per day. CDC reported that more than 106 million people have received at least one dose, and more than 61.4 million, or 18.5 per cent, are fully vaccinated.

(Image Credits: AP)

(Inputs from ANI)